Toy construction block and interlocking retainer therefor



March 7, 1939. B. A. TETZLAFF 2,149,476

TOY CONSTRUCTION BLOCK AND INTERLOCKING RETAINER THEREFOR Filed Sept. 21, 1937 WI? i mum Ill jzde 722207": Lfiwykzniw a;

J I I am Patented Mar. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES TOY CONSTRUCTION BLOCK AND' INTER- LOCKING RETAINER THEREFOR 8 Claims.

This invention relates generally to toys but has particular reference to toy construction blocks which can be manufactured at comparatively low cost and easily assembled and comparatively rigidly interlocked to form various toy structures.

The construction blocks consist of an assortment of relatively interfitting wood elements of various forms and sizes which are adapted to be frictionally interlocked without the use of bolts or permanent interlocking means into many different forms or structures. The set of construction blocks includes slender rods or preferably cylindrical sticks of different lengths and connecting members, such as disks, adapted to connect the ends of such rods or sticks at varying angles one to another. Each set of such toy construction blocks may, for example, consist of an assortment of rods of suitably proportioned lengths and an assortment of disks of varying diameters. Each disk is preferably provided with an axial bore extending through it and a plurality of equally spaced radial bores extending into the peripheral portion thereof, the radial bores being preferably eight in number.

All of the rods are the same and uniform diam eter through their lengths and each rod has a diametrically disposed slot extending longitudinally into each end of the rod to thus divide each end of each rod into two prongs which are adapted to be flexed toward each other when the end of the rod is inserted into one of the bores of a disk. The bores in the disks are substantially of the same diameter as that of the rods.

In toy wood blocks of this class heretofore made and sold for toy purposes, the interlocking frictional connection between the ends of the rods and the disks depended solely on the resiliency of the prongs at the ends of the wood rods and the friction between the sides of the prongs and the inside faces of the bores of the connecting wood disks. Repeated insertions and extractions of the rods into and out of the bores of the disk destroy or reduce to an ineffective point the frictional holding power between such elements as the walls of bores and prong ends are subject to wear or smoothening to thereby reduce their frictional characteristic and furthermore, the prongs in time lose their resiliency after being repeatedly flexed toward each other in repeated insertions so that the ends of the rods assume a pointed form and lose their frictional resistance. In an attempt to overcome this disadvantage in loss of the required frictional power between the connections of such members, the users of such toy blocks tried using rubber bands which were out into small sections and such sections inserted within the slot between the prongs but such attempts have only proved to be make-shift or impractical means because rubber in such bands is usually of too small cross-section, easily deteriorates or rots and is diflicult to cut into proper and suitable shape. If rubber of suitable thickness is available, it is not easily held compressed and while so compressed easily inserted into the comparatively narrow slot, and unless it is cemented in place it is readily displaceable.

It is therefore an important feature or object of my invention to overcome the above-recited disadvantages and to provide the rod members of the toy construction block of the character described with novel and useful means for facilitating and prolonging the frictional quality between the ends of suchrod members and the connecting disks; such means comprising resilient metallic retainers, preferably of spring steel, which are easily insertable within the slots in the ends of the rods and maintained from displacement therefrom.

With the above and other objects in View which will become readily apparent from the perusal of the attached drawing, my invention consists in the novel combination, construction and arrangement of the various members and parts shown in preferred embodiments in the attached drawing, described in the following specifications and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the attached drawing, in which like reference characters indicate like or similar parts:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an assembly of toy blocks of triangular form or structure constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the end of one of the rods as heretofore made and used;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of an end of one of the rods as heretofore made and used;

Fig. 5 is a side view of one end of one of the rods equipped with a resilient retainer which is illustrated in Fig. 6;

Fig. 6 is an end view of a resilient metallic retainer embodying my invention;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the retainer shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 9 is an end View of a retainer which is a modification of the one shown in Figs. 6, '7 and 8;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the retainer shown in Fi 9;

Fig. 11 is an end view of a further modified retainer;

Figs. 12 and 13 are opposite side views of the retainer shown in Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is a front view of the retainer shown in Fig. 11;

Figs. 15 and 16 are respectively side and front views of another modified retainer; and

Figs. 17 and 18 are respectively end and front Views of still another modification of my retainer invention.

In the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2 which illustrate an assembly of wood block members embodying my invention, the disk connectors 20 are interconnected together by the rods 2!. Each disk connector is provided with an axial bore 20 extending transversely through the disk and a plurality of spaced radial bores 20 extending within the peripheral portion of the disk body.

Figs. 3 and 4 show respectively end view and side View of one end of one of the rods 2| in which the diametrical slot is indicated by numeral 2 I In the resilient metal retainers which I will now describe I have provided simple and novel means for prolonging the frictional retaining power of the rods 2i.

All of the forms of my invention embodied in the several modifications are preferably made of comparatively thin spring steel to provide the desired resiliency and those shown in Figs. 7, 10, 14 and 18 preferably may be made of a slightly tapered form to facilitate their insertion into the slots H that is, the distance between the bent sides which embrace the outer side of rod 2! being increased very slightly inwardly of the outer end thereof. This slight taper is indicated somewhat in Fig. 7 but in the other illustrations the distance between the bent sides is shown as being uniform as the retainer could also be made.

All of the modifications and including the simple preferable type shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, are provided with an opening 23 and an outwardly pointed prong 24 punched from and bent angularly outwardly of the body of the retainer. The opening 23 could be dispensed with since its function is primarily that of permitting such retainers to be strung on a string to facilitate handling, however, such opening 23 may be of oval shape as shown in Fig. '7 to facilitate mounting of same on a bar from which same may be successively fed and discharged by suitable mechanism when such retainers are desired to be machine mounted in the ends of the rods 21. The function of the prong 24 is to provide means for retaining displacement of the retainer after it is forcibly inserted in the slot 2 I The retainer 22 shown in Figs. 6, '7 and 8 comprising an elongated body tapering slightly toward its outer end (the outer end of the re-" tainer being that end which is positioned near the outer end of the slot 2%) and being of a general S-shape cross-section and having sides 22 bent oppositely and curved to conform to the curve of the face of the side of the'rod 2| so as to embrace the side of the rod to thereby provide narrow longitudinally extending faces which prevent normal displacement of the retainer, stiffen the retainer slightly and absorb part of the wear from the rod end, This resilient retainer offers spring action transversely of the rod end in four directions (as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 6) in two relatively rightangularly disposed planes. It will also be noted that the compound curve of the intermediate portion of the retainer wall is preferably such that the outermost portions of the oppositely disposed faces of the retainer wall engage the opposite side walls of the slot ZI at the portions located substantially midway between center of the slot face and its outer side edge. These points of contact are indicated in Fig. 6 by X.

The general design of the retainer shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is similar to that shown in Figs. 6, '7 and 8 except that the body as shown in Fig. 9 is formed in cross-section with a plurality of curves or corrugations whereby the intermediate portion has four lines of contact with the two side walls of the slot ZI The lines of contact are also here indicated by X.

The modified retainer shown in Figs. 11, 12, 13 and 14 consist of a pair of separate resilient spring-like bodies of similar cross-section to that shown in Fig. 6, except that these retainers are substantially one-half of the length of the retainer shown in Figs. 6 and 7 to permit two of them to be adjacently oppositely mounted into the slot 2| to thereby provide the opposite sides of the slot 2| A with a pair of oppositely disposed sides 25 The two cooperative sections 25 are made with the same die except that the openings 23 and prongs 24 therein are reversedly disposed on such pairs to afford relatively reverse adjacent mounting of same with their adjacent sides 25 disposed oppositely to one another.

The resilient retainer modification shown in Figs. 15 and 16 consists of a fiat spring-steel body 28 bent over itself to form opposite sides 26 tending to spread apart to thereby retain the spaced tongue-like ends of the rod in proper relatively spaced positions whereby the tendency for the rod to assume a pointed form is obviated.

The upper or intermediate portion 26 of the body is of V-shaped cross-section, the ends 26 are bent preferably inwardly, and the retainer body is adapted to be completely housed within the slot 21 In the modification shown in Figs. 17 and 18, the body 21 is formed with a central flattened portion 21 extending substantially longitudinally of the body and the side portions 21 of the body are rolled to extend into a common plane to present longitudinal spaced curved portions arranged to contact the face of the slot 2M which is disposed oppositely to the face of the slot engaged by the central portion 21 7 I claim:-

1. A resilient metallic retainer adapted to be mounted in a slotted end of a cylindrical rod element in a set of toy construction elements to effect a spring-pressed frictional connection of the rod end within a bore of a diameter which is substantially equal to the diameter of said rod and disposed in the body of another of said elements, said retainer comprising a resilient metallic body having a corrugated portion adapted to engage opposite walls of the slotted portion of the rod to retain same in substantially cylindrical form but yieldable to permit flexing of the slotted ends to an effective diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore of said other element, the corrugations extendinglongitudinally of the resilient body and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

2. A resilient retainer adapted to be inserted in a slotted end of a wooden toy construction rod comprising a resilient metallic body having an intermediate portion of a curved section presenting contacting surfaces on opposite faces of the metallic body adapted to engage the opposite faces of the slotted end of the rod, said contacting surfaces extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

3. A resilient retainer adapted to be inserted in a slotted end of a wooden toy construction element comprising a resilient metallic body of substantially S-shaped cross-section, the sinuous shape of the body extending transversely of the body and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot in the element.

4. A resilient retainer adapted to be inserted in a slotted end of a wooden toy construction element comprising a resilient metallic body of substantially S-shaped cross-section having side portions engaging portions of the outside faces of the slotted end of the element.

5. A resilient retainer adapted to be inserted in a slot, in the end of a wooden toy construction elongated element, which divides the end portion of the element into spaced tongue-like portions, comprising a resilient metallic body of deformed cross-section having portions thereof normally engaging portions of opposite walls of said tongue-like portions disposed on a common plane extending transversely of the element.

6. A resilient retainer adapted to be inserted in a slot in the end of a wooden toy construction element, said slot dividing the end of the element into a pair of spaced tongue-like portions, comprising a resilient metallic body of corrugated cross-section presenting a plurality of contacting portions on opposite faces of its body for engaging spaced portions of the opposite walls of said tongue-like portions, said body having oppositely disposed curved sides arranged to engage portions of the outside faces of said tongue-like portions of the element. 1

7. A resilient retainer adapted to be inserted in a slot in the end of a wooden toy construction element, said slot dividing the end of the element into a pair of spaced tongue-like portions, comprising a pair of resilient metallic bodies placed end to end within the slot, said bodies being of deformed cross-section and mounted to present portions thereof contacting said tongue-like portions at relatively transversely and longitudinally spaced opposite portions.

8. In a resilient retainer for construction blocks including rods of uniform diameter and disks each having an axial bore and. a plurality of bores extending radially into the disk and all of said bores being of uniform diameter for tightly receiving an end of one of said rods and all of said rods having a slot in each end thereof, a resilient metallic member adapted to be mounted in each of said slots tending to maintain the ends of said rods of uniform diameter and resisting flexing of the spaced portions of the rod end toward each other but permitting the insertion of the rod end into any one of said disk bores, said resilient metallic member having a sinuous cross-sectional form disposed transversely to the longitudinal axis of the rod and presenting a plurality of convex faces to the opposite walls of each slot, said convex faces extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

BENJAMIN A. TETZLAFF. 

